Of Frozen Hearts
by bluflaxh0711
Summary: Queen Elsa had come to embrace her abilities with the help of her love for her sister and of her people. . . . But what happens when a stranger comes into town and shows her a different kind of love. . . One that is directed towards her without condition or fear. . . . READ and ENJOY!
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

The night had been ruthless with its unforgiving snow storms and ever dropping temperatures. The fire did little to bring warmth back to his frost bitten fingers as Seth desperately rubbed his hands and blew on them and brought them close to the fire in the little cave he had been lucky to find before it had become completely dark. News of Arandelle's eternal winter had spread like wild fire and it got him out of his little workshop a few miles south of the town. He had been travelling one and half days now, to get to the town of eternal winter. Unlike most people who were horrified by the news, the 'cold curse' (as some had come to call it) made him ecstatic. It had brought him immeasurable glee to know of the becoming of a frozen land, for his was a rather unusual job. With his talents and skillful hands, he had chosen to be a carver, not of wood nor of rock but of ice.

Seth the Carver had grown in a carver's home with his father's carving tools and woodwork scattered all around their house. At a young age, his father's job had interested him greatly and Seth spent most of his time learning this fascinating form of art. In a little village such as theirs, art wasn't as important as farming so their family had lived poorly all their lives. Most of their days had been in hunger which made Seth's brothers hate Charles, their father, for his stubbornness in sticking to his wood carving. Over the years they grew bitter towards him and they eventually set out into the world to make their own lives happen with a grave hate for art. They never understood why their father had been so stubborn with what he did when it was never enough to feed them. The ache in their bellies and the dryness of their mouths drove them to hate Charles with a passion which led them to leave him finally. Even Seth's mother who was truly in love with Charles came to be miserable with him. The stale food and the freezing winters finally broke her so that she did not even shed a tear when she closed the door behind her, leaving her three sons bewildered and Charles in tears. She knew that whatever life would throw at her, it was going to be better without her dreamer of a husband. She was disillusioned finally but Charles wasn't and never would be. Love had certainly kept some nights warm but it did not drive away the often recurring stomach aches, which had come to be worse than heartaches.

In the end, Seth and Charles were left alone in their ramshackle house with only the woodwork to keep them company. Seth's brothers tried desperately to persuade him to come along with them but he stubbornly declined and stormed into his room bolting the doors behind him. Charles wasn't a good provider but he tried to be a good father. Seth could see as much and he too could see how Charles was an excellent artist with his smooth and shapely carvings. All he needed was a break and some recognition for the expertise which showed in his work. And that was exactly what Seth was hoping to get as he tread the remaining one mile to Arandelle in the worsening weather conditions. The sky had turned even darker on his third day of travel. The snow storm could have easily blown a small child away into oblivion. But fortunately Seth was not as feeble as one. He stood tall at 5'10 with a muscular build from years and years of carving. It gave him enough strength and weight in his stride to keep him on the ground.

The years of solitude with his father were not easy but it was easier. With only their mouths to be fed, they managed to starve less with what little Charles earned. Seth focused only on the knowledge his father shared and absorbed it like a sponge. Charles taught him everything he knew but he could see that Seth was much more creative than him and that one day soon, the student would surpass the teacher. At sixteen years, Seth was already skilfully chipping away wood and making masterful art.

'Seth' Charles had said one night over their dinner of stale bread and hot tea. 'You are terrific at what you do. Even better than me, I'd say.'

'Thank you father,' Seth replied with a grin, grateful for his father's compliment.

'But,' Seth looked up at him by then. What could the 'but' still be all about? He saw how his father's expression became serious and sad at the same time. 'You mustn't pursue it.'

'But why?' the young child had tears welling up in his eyes as he looked directly into Charles' eyes. He could see how Seth loved his art and it broke his heart to deprive his son of it.

'Because it has brought us to this,' Charles said gently. 'It's just you and me now when we could still have been whole as a family; you, me and your brothers and your mother. I let my passion for carvings consume me so that I completely neglected everything else. I made everyone miserable until they finally left-'

'I'm still here. I stayed.' Seth said in hopeful protest.

'Yes, yes you are.' He smiled at his young son. Seth was still a child despite his excellence in carving. 'But look at us, I can barely get us by.' The guilt and sorrow showed in his eyes and for a moment, Seth thought that Charles looked a lot older than forty-five. The man was already running out of gas and he looked weary sitting across the table from Seth.

'I love carving and I would like nothing more than to show the world the beauty in our work.' He smiled up at his father who still looked miserable. 'I'll show you too,' he said excitedly before finishing his dinner and went off to start on another project.

A few days later, when Charles was gathering wood for their fire (winter was well into its season), he saw Seth running towards him across the field which was covered with a thick blanket of snow. Seth excitedly pulled on Charles back to the direction from which he came.

'Slow down Seth,' he shouted as he broke into a run to keep up with his eager son. They ran a good distance and Charles was breathless when Seth stopped and let go of his hand. When he recovered, he stood straight and saw that they were near the lake which had frozen over.

'Come on!' Seth waved to his father who was a few meters away. Charles walked to where his son stood and then looked at Seth.

'So what is it that you wanted to show me?' Seth giggled then took his father's hand and led him nearer the lake. He stopped again but didn't let go of his father's hand this time. Instead, he pointed toward the lake. Charles gazed at the spot Seth was pointing at and froze. His eyes widened to see the figure of a dear glistening in the gloom of the day. It stood at 5 feet, not including the antlers. It was looking at them as dears normally did when scanning the area. The work on it was exquisite; it almost looked real except that it was glistening and almost transparent. Charles slowly approached the carving and was left in even more awe to see that it was made of ice. He was not familiar with this kind of carving but it was truly magnificent.

He turned to his son who looked at him with glee. He smiled at him and said, 'How did you manage this?'

'I saw a few men cutting ice out here the other day and I asked them to cut me a good sized piece. They were kind enough to do so and I simply did what I always have been doing, I carved.'

Charles stared at Seth with surprise, he never thought that his son had this much talent. And then he felt pride well up from deep inside of him. He kept looking at his son and thought _I'm not such a failure after all. _He ruffled Seth's hair then turned to the ice sculpture again.

'You certainly showed me Seth. I almost forgot but you showed me.'

'I sure did.' He replied with a smile. They stood there looking at the dear until dusk began to gather then they went home had dinner and went to bed. The next morning, Charles taught Seth more of what he knew and carved a few pieces himself. And not once after that day did Charles ever discourage his son.

His little experiment with the ice sculpture had gotten Seth captivated with the concept. Ice had a quality about it that made his carvings seem even more realistic. The material was a little more delicate than wood or stone, as it was more vulnerable to cracking, but his work shone and glistened with it. For the years to come, he applied his skills into blocks of ice and turned them into true master pieces. Charles was equally fascinated by the ice sculpture but found that the work was far too delicate for his abilities. He would simply watch Seth work on the ice and in the end be left in awe at the beautiful pieces his son made. Seth had always been passionate, but working ice took his passion to another level; he had to be pried away from his work for daily activities such as eating and sleeping. But neither his deprivation from food nor sleep could stop him as he often snuck away even in the middle of the night to chip away some more ice.

His third and last day of travel was the worst since he began. The wind blew even stronger and it became colder as he neared Arandelle. Snow and ice and winter were everywhere even if it was the middle of summer. He now realized that though ice held beauty in it, it could also present itself as a treacherous enemy. It was already noon that day but the winter fury completely blotted out the sun. None of it would be seen for a while he thought. His head was bent low and his arms were across his chest as he wrapped his coat even more tightly around him while he walked on, when he saw something nearly buried in the snow. He thought it was a person for it seemed like a cloak which usually came with the one who wore it. Seth panicked and dropped to his knees as he started to claw the snow away from the cloth. His fingers were numb but he kept digging anyway. When he finally managed to get a foot deep, he yanked the cloth out of the snow. As it turns out, it was just a cloak without its owner. He breathed a sigh of relief then held the cloak in front of him. Even with the lack of light, he could see that it was purple and felt that it was made with fine cotton. He examined it, and then saw a sign embroidered into the cloak. Seth held it closer to him and then gasped. It was the emblem of Arandelle! '_That's unusual' _he thought then searched frantically around for a sign of life. There might have been an accident nearby which involved the royalty of the kingdom. After all, the cloak was too fine to belong to a commoner. But, there was no sign of any humans nearby. He once again breathed a sigh of relief then realized it might have just been blown away by the strong wind from when it was being hung to dry. Seth shrugged then walked on. Arandelle was only a kilometer away from him now.

'Are you ready?' Queen Elsa announced to the crowd. This would be the first time in her entire life when she will use her powers in front of everyone. With love on her side, she no longer feared her ability; rather, she embraced it and was now sharing it with her kingdom. A week of the eternal winter she had set off was finally ended and she was able to control her powers. She was no longer afraid of hurting anyone with her abilities. It was not a curse anymore. Queen Elsa saw the beauty within the frozen wonderland she had created as did everyone now. Thanks to her sister Anna's act or true love, Elsa came to understand that the magic she had in her was a gift rather than a curse. She wasn't even nervous when she stomped her foot to freeze the ground and raised her hand to freeze the fountains. Elsa knew she wouldn't be hurting anyone when she did. The crowd started to skate and dance on top of the ice and they seemed to accept their snow queen just as she was. Not a scream of fear or a look of horror came from her audience; only applause and laughter could be heard.

Seth was disheartened to see the ice melt away when he finally reached the square in Arandelle. He had come here to endorse his work but with the blistering sun high up in the sky, his ice sculptures wouldn't even have a chance. He was tired and homesick as he started to turn on his heel to leave but was held back by the cheer of a crowd. He looked back to see the town's people march towards the palace. He had always been curious and the fiasco was of no exception to this. Seth made for the palace instead of the mountains which led back home. Seth found out later, that he had been right to join the crowd. Seth had found another he fancied when he entered the gates of Arandelle's palace!

End Chapter 1

When Disney came out with'The Little Mermaid', 'Beauty and the Beast', 'Cinderella', 'Snow White' it was obvious that they wanted to end with 'Happily ever after'. Sure 'Anna' had HER happy ending but I would also like to see Queen Elsa have hers. I just love her too much not to see it happen for her. . . I know, I know, this a bit short for a first Chapter but stick with it for a while. . . I'll try to make the next one a little more satisfying for that 'Happily ever after,'. . . . So do review and leave me one so we can all see it happen! Ciao! 'Till the next one! (Which is soon I hope!)


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

'Excuse me sir, might I ask what the event in the palace is?' Seth asked a man who was rushing into the gates to the palace of Arandelle. The man turned and looked at Seth with annoyance, he was much too excited to be bothered. But as he looked at the young man in front of him, he saw that he was a traveller with his filthy clothes, worn out boots and pregnant bag. The man smiled instead and answered. 'Well young man, the queen has brought back summer and has now returned to the palace after running away. It is a joyous day for everyone,' he paused and looked at Seth intently as if analysing him. He smiled again, 'You too must come. Our queen is a very special one!' he winked then disappeared into the crowd. Seth didn't quite understand what the man meant with his last remark but the eagerness from the crowd surrounding him rubbed onto him and he was now filled with excitement and the curiosity as he followed the crowd and positioned himself at a corner within the palace square.

For a few minutes, nothing happened and being a stranger, he was naturally alone. Boredom started to set in. He was turning to leave when the crowd started to cheer. Seth looked at the direction everyone was directing their cheers at. He saw that the gigantic oak doors to the palace were opening. He postponed his leave and stared intently at the narrow gap between the two doors. From his conversation with the man earlier, Seth assumed that the queen would be the one marching out. He spent his whole life in their little town and never visited another, so that he had no idea how the queen looked. _Our queen is a very special one. _The man had said earlier. Seth wondered what was special about her. He was distracted from his thoughts when he saw motion; someone was walking towards them from out of the dimly lit palace. He peeled his eyes in anticipation and was dumbstruck as the figure came into the light.

_Our queen is a very special one. _He remembered again. The queen came out in an exquisite sparkly blue dress with a long train which suited her to perfection. She wore her long platinum blonde hair in a single braid; it framed her face beautifully and exposed her long, thin neck. She had icy blue eyes which stood out, especially with her very fair and flawless skin. Seth's eyes followed her as she walked to the middle of the square in the between two fountains. With a racing heart, Seth could not have agreed more that the queen was indeed special.

She stood proud before her people and wore a confident smile. Queen Elsa looked around at the gathered crowd then her smile turned into a more mischievous and playful one.

'Are you ready?' she announced, and the crowd became even more rowdy. Seth had not a clue what was happening. _Ready for what? _His anticipation grew even more. With one graceful move, Queen Elsa raised her hands to the sky as if to summon a divine force. Then Seth saw how a glowing ball formed on her hands and shot up to the sky. _What the. . . _The ball exploded a hundred meters up into the sky. Then soon after, snowflakes came showering upon them. Seth was even more confused now but even more fascinated by the queen's creation. In a moment, the queen had somehow managed to make it snow! He looked from the sky to the queen who was smiling even more now. She was obviously pleased by the reaction she had gotten. The queen then proceeded. She raised her leg then brought her foot down hard on the ground, where it immediately iced over, then spread through the entire area. The square instantly became a skating rink with everyone gliding and sliding and even slipping atop the ice.

Seth was much too disarrayed to prevent his own fall on to the hard ice. He knew how to skate from all his years on the ice but he was too amazed, too awestruck, too confused to bother keeping his balance. The queen made ice! At her command, snow fell, and the ground froze over!

'Are you okay?' came a kind husky voice.

'Ow uhm, . . . . yes. . . yes.' He looked up to see that it was the man he talked to earlier. He was smiling and holding out his hand which Seth took gratefully.

'Thank you,' he said warmly then turned to the queen. She was talking with a brunette now. Their resemblance led him to believe that she was her sister. Not only was the queen the most beautiful woman he had ever seen, she was also gifted with the ability to make and control ice!

'I told you our Queen Elsa was a special one,' he turned to see the man still smiling and standing behind him.

Seth looked at him and then smiled. 'She certainly is. . . The queen is indeed a special one.' he looked to her direction again and smiled in pure admiration. _What an extraordinary woman!_

_What a week! _Elsa thought as she walked to the back of the castle where the lake was. In a week, she set off an eternal winter then undid it in five days' time, and was back in office for the last two days; she had decided to make reforms which she was furiously working on. But today, she was allowed the day off so Elsa decided she'd spend it in solitude by the lake. She would be alone and free to be. She would have invited Anna but she knew her sister was busy with Kristoff. The queen was quickly making her way to approving of the man for her sister, but not just yet. She wanted them to spend more time with each other to give them the chance to get to know the other more. Kristoff was nothing like Hans but neither Elsa nor Anna could take the chance; after all, Hans was not such a happy experience for either of them. His treachery had left a deep scar to both sisters and they became more cautious now. The ice deliverer had proven, in every way possible that he was good man but so had Hans the first time. Elsa couldn't bear to see her sister betrayed and Anna also didn't want any more treachery from the men in her life, so she too agreed to give her relationship with Kristoff some more time.

Elsa quickly cut across the thin forest behind the castle and reached the lake in a matter of minutes. She was immediately elated by the sight of the shimmering water. In a moment she would turn the lake into a winter wonderland with solid ice under her feet and possibly some ice structures if she decided to build them. But for the moment, she stomped her foot and froze the lake. The queen was able to control her powers now but she constantly missed 'letting go'. During her escape from the kingdom, Elsa was free to release her abilities and make wonderful creations. Being the Queen in her office didn't give her the much opportunity to use her magic. Elsa missed the total freedom granted her by her escape to the mountains.

She felt giddy as she lifted her hands to command the ice to do as she bid. In a moment, the ice from the lake reached out to the heavens then curved and arched to form a castle. Elsa loved the castle she had made in the mountains and she missed it terribly. She therefore thought of creating another one which would be closer to home and the lake was manageable but also far enough so she could be alone. The ice stretched and danced so that in a blink of an eye, a castle stood in the middle of the lake. It looked exactly like the one she had first created. As always, it was magnificent and flawless! With every graceful step, Elsa entered her little sanctuary and closed the door behind her.

Seth got up to an early start. He had no intention to but as a favour to the stranger he talked to during the event in the palace square, he owed it him. Sean was the old man who invited him to watch the spectacle in square, helped him up from his slip on the ice and now offered him a place to stay while he decided to remain in Arandelle. Sean was a kind old man who worked in the palace as the queen's assistant. He managed most of everything from making sure the queen was served breakfast to making certain her orders were carried through. The night before, Sean had asked Seth to wake up early and go fetch water from the lake. Seans wife, Zelda disagreed but Seth insisted it was his pleasure to do it after all the kindness they had showed him. Seeing the young man agree, Zelda nodded then went to bed.

The sun began to peek through the hills as he drew nearer the lake where he was supposed to fetch water. Seth bent to fill his first of two buckets with fresh water but he soon found that he could not lift the bucket from out the lake anymore. From a distance, there was a glow of blue light which spread quickly through the lake. He had not noticed it at first but with his bucket stuck in the ice like it did, he simply had to acknowledge the phenomenon. He looked to his right and watched the rest of the lake turn to ice. Unlike most people who would have seen it unfold, he was fascinated more than scared. The ice sparkled gloriously in the morning sun and Seth only stood appreciating it. Ice always lifted his spirits even during days like this when he was forced to get up against his will. The phenomenon was not such a mystery now so that without fear and only fascination, he raced towards where the ice came from. More than his enthrallment with ice, there was another that caught more of his attention. The excitement was for more than the ice, but rather, for something or someone else which Seth found more enchanting. In all his life, there was nothing more fascinating than ice; except for a week ago when Seth set his eyes on icy crystal like blue eyes and snow white complexion.

Without much thought to it, Seth ran toward the direction where the lake began to freeze over. _Let it be her! Let it be her! _The young man chanted over and over in his head ashis legs ran as fast as they could; one step after the other without stop! Upon the sight of trees made of ice, he slowed to admire the flawless quality of the ice. He continued on and came to a clearing after the thin forest of ice trees.

'Wow!' was all he could manage at the sight of the huge castle made of ice which stood glimmering in the sun.

'Isn't it?!' came an excited voice. 'Queen Elsa is just amazing!'

'She did all this?' Seth replied in amazement and without tearing his gaze away from the castle.

'She really is something huh. I should say so, I wouldn't be here if it wasn't for her. Queen Elsa is just amazing!' and then the voice broke into a giggle.

'And I couldn't agree more.' He never averted his eyes and stood for a while marvelling at the sight. Even after years of mastering his form of art he had never created nor seen anything so beautiful such as this!

'Sooo. . . Are you going to just stand there?' came the little voice again.

'Huh. . . uhm' he realized then that his mouth was wide open. 'What else can I do?' Seth turned to look at the person he was talking to but was shocked to find no one there. When he was sure he heard the voice from the back. He turned on his heel; he thought maybe the person was hiding behind one of the ice trees. Seth took a step but he heard the voice again.

'Well we could go in you know.' It said as though it were the most normal thing to walk into the ice castle of the queen. Seth turned again and dropped his jaw for the second time. He stared in disbelief at the three foot snow man who was smiling at him.

'Hi there! I'm Olaf by the way.' The snowman coupled his smile with a friendly wave.

'Ahhhhhhhh' Seth screamed. 'You're. . . You're.'

'A snowman?' Olaf suggested as though it was a normal everyday event to see a live talking, moving snowman.

Elsa heard a man scream from inside the castle where she was furnishing the wide but empty space. She was in the middle of making a dining set when she was taken by surprise by the terrified scream. She picked up her dress then ran toward the doors leading outside. The scream left her heart in her mouth, she could barely breath when she got outside. She had hurt a few people with her magic just a few days ago and although Elsa had better control of her powers it would not be surprising if she had unknowingly injured someone.

The light blinded her for a few moments but when her eyes adjusted she saw Olaf waving his wooden hand at a tall muscular man.

'Olaf! Olaf! Are you okay? What happened?' she was making her way to where he was. Olaf turned to see her then began to run towards her. When he was close enough he launched himself to the queen. She caught him but not without stepping back to absorb the snowman's weight and force and almost losing her balance. She giggled at how child-like Olaf was. Elsa adored her little creation.

She set him down so that she was kneeling while she talked to him. 'Hello Olaf,' she smiled warmly at him. Elsa then remembered that they were not alone. She raised her head to see the tall man still standing there with a look of surprise. 'Who's your friend?' She began to get up and fix her dress which got a little wrinkled from her kneeling.

'Ow I don't know him yet. We were in the middle of getting to know each other when he screamed.' Olaf replied in his usual cheery voice. Elsa giggled again; Olaf always considered himself within the realms of normal when in fact a talking snowman was very very far from it.

'Maybe you took him by surprise?' she said as though talking to a child.

Olaf gave out a laugh, 'Maybe I did.' He ran back to Seth with the queen walking calmly behind him.

'So. . . . What IS your name?'

Seth was still in shock and didn't respond immediately. Not only did the snowman blow him out of his mind but here was the queen walking towards him in all her beauty yet he wore such a dumb look. The snowman had asked him his name but as Elsa drew nearer Seth dropped to one knee, suddenly remembering he was in the presence of the queen.

Elsa saw him kneel and Seth could not see but the queen was repressing a laugh. She could see how nervous and disoriented the man was. After all, her creations weren't so easy to take in. His shock would have been the only normal thing in this situation.

'I am Seth my queen,' he somehow managed with his head bowed. The man's jet black hair covered his face so that Elsa could not see the entirety of his features.

'Please stand up,' she said gently. He did and Elsa saw that he had intriguing grey eyes which were at the moment filled with embarrassment. His cheeks were turning red; probably from the cold and his humiliation, Elsa thought. He was fair for a man and had a strikingly handsome face. Seth was a full head taller than her, even now that she was wearing her heals. He was very muscular which led her to believe that he was a hard worker. But despite an impressive physique and a face which could make most women swoon, Seth did not at all have confidence in how he carried himself.

'So you DO have a name! Nice to meet you.' Olaf was extending a hand which Seth reluctantly shook. He thought the worse was over but as he was shaking hands with the snow man, Olaf's arm came right off!

'Ahhh!' he knelt to level with the snow man then tried to desperately put the arm back. 'I'm so sorry! I'm sorry! I didn't mean to. . .' both Olaf and Elsa began to laugh.

'I'm fine. I'm fine.' Olaf took the recently detached arm and placed it higher as Seth had put it too low. Seth felt more foolish now.

'I am terribly sorry. I didn't mean to uhm.' He felt if anything more embarrassing happened, he melt into a heap of goo.

'Mhm, that's okay. It's nice to meet you Seth' the queen also extended her hand. 'It's okay, mine won't come off that easily.' She smiled at him and Seth took her hand into hers. She felt how rough his hand was and he, how smooth hers was. Seth gained a little of his composure and smiled back at the queen. They let go of each other's hand which surprisingly felt like a loss to Seth.

'So, we were just talking about how beautiful the castle was.' Olaf said from where he stood. 'And I wanted to show him around the castle. Is that okay with you Elsa?' he looked up at her with a hopeful look. The snow man had obviously liked Seth.

Elsa smiled, 'I'm not done yet but you may show him around.' Just as the group started to make their way into the castle, Anna called out to her sister as she struggled to get to the castle.

'Go ahead, I will follow in a moment.' She waved to both men then headed to where Anna just slipped.

For the rest of the day, Seth was dragged around the ice castle by Olaf. The little snowman was just as excited to show him around as Seth was the same in getting to see such creative work with ice. The castle was wider than it seemed from the outside. Olaf took from room after room after room where he saw flawless ice furniture, frozen fountains and glass-like walls. It was a dream for an ice carver such as him. He was looking up at the glimmering chandelier when he heard Queen Elsa behind him.

'Enjoying yourself?' Seth turned to her with a start. This was becoming a pattern, he noticed, he always became nervous and jumpy around the queen. He hadn't seen the queen since they were outside as Olaf kept him busy.

'Very much, my queen. I've never seen anything so grand and fascinating in my whole life.' His eyes brightened as he spoke.

Elsa giggled again, 'Why thank you.'

'Seth! Seth! Come on! There's still a lot you haven't seen!' Olaf was calling out from across the hall. Seth would have liked to see more but he didn't want to impose. He walked to Olaf and levelled with him.

'I would like to see more Olaf but it's getting late and I've left a few chores unattended. I'm afraid I have to go.' Olaf looked crestfallen. The two had grown very close to each other in just a day.

'Okay,' Olaf said sadly.

Seth then stood and approached the queen. 'Thank you Queen Elsa for giving me the privilege to see your beautiful castle.' He knew he'd said enough but he was marvelling too much to not appreciate the queens creations. 'It truly is special. What an extraordinary gift you have my queen. Arandelle is lucky to have you.'

'Thank you.' Elsa said humbly and surprised Seth when he saw her turn crimson. _Surely she hears compliments such as the ones I had said. _But the colour disappeared immediately so that Seth thought he might have imagined the colour spread across queen's snow white skin .

'I had the most amazing time. Thank you very much. It was a pleasure to see this.' He turned and waved to Olaf then said his goodbye to Elsa. Both the snowman and the queen walked Seth out the door and as he made his way across the lake, they stood there waving him goodbye.

Seth waved back at them. His eyes went from the adorable snowman to the queen. She was even more stunning as she stood by the door waving at him. _Extraordinary! Simply extraordinary! _His eyes were dreamy until he closed his eyes and went to sleep that night and dreamt of the winter paradise in the lake and the extraordinary woman with blue eyes who wore the sparkling blue dress.

End Chapter 2

That's that for chapter 2. . . hope you liked it. . . Leave me one and hope you look forward to the next one. . . 'till next time! Ciao!


	3. Chapter 3

Smirk Chapter 3

'Soo. . . who was that?' Anna asked Elsa as she entered her room in the ice castle. Her little sister wanted to spend the day with her even though Elsa didn't expect it. She let Anna wait for her while she went to check on Olaf and Seth. She ended up walking him out the door.

'Just a friend of Olaf's' she was completely ignoring Anna's smirk and suggestive look.

'Just Olaf's? YOU'RE not friends with him?' Anna was getting more and more mischievous with every question. Elsa knew what her sister wanted from her, but she wasn't about to satisfy Anna's expectation because she herself didn't know how she stood with Seth.

'I guess you could say that,' she shrugged then went to the window and stared out to the horizon where the sun was beginning to set.

'Well that's a shame. I thought he was a handsome fellow.' Anna had no intention of dropping the subject but just then, Olaf came running into the room.

'Hey you guys!' the snowman didn't seem to run out of energy.

'Really? I think Olaf is better looking,' Elsa was grateful for the distraction. Anna did not see it but the queen was forming a snowball on her right hand and a moment later, she threw it to her sister. It hit her on her left shoulder.

'You're unfair! We don't have any ammo!' the older sister laughed then raised her hands, formed a glowing blue ball on her palms then let it shoot up the ceiling. It exploded and snow began to fall in the room. 'Now we're even.' When there was enough snow gathered, Anna formed a snow ball and threw it at her sister. Elsa managed to dodge the first ball but the second came too quickly, it hit her. Even Olaf was forming snow balls. He and Anna were allies as Elsa had the advantage of creating the snow balls in a blink of an eye. The three played like kids until the sun sunk behind the hills. For the few moments they laughed and giggled, all three forgot about the grey-eyed man but when Elsa went to Anna's room to say goodnight, he came up again.

'Olaf is adorable,' the sisters glanced at the snowman who was sleeping peacefully in one of the corners of the room, his little flurry hovering over him. Anna looked at Elsa more seriously now, 'But his FRIEND, he's just gorgeous,' she said then yawned. Elsa smiled at her then stood to leave the room but paused by the door and turned to her sister who was already asleep.

'I guess you could say that,' she whispered then closed the door with a smile playing on her lips.

'How'd it go today Seth?' but the expression on his face told everything that needed be told. When he looked at her, Zelda could see how depressed he was. She approached him and placed a hand on his shoulder. 'Don't worry son, you'll find work soon. In the meantime, you can stay here for as long as you need to.'

Seth smiled at her but the older woman saw he did not want to be rude. 'Maybe I can ask my husband if he can get you a job at the palace' Zelda continued, hoping to lift Seth's spirits.

'There really isn't any need for that. You've already done so much for me.' Seth was already embarrassed from staying in the couple's home and eating their food for almost two weeks now. He hated to be a burden.

'Ow nonsense! I'm sure he'd be glad to do it! You're such a nice boy!' but at twenty-seven, he was hardly a boy. 'Besides, I cannot promise that the job will be in your field.'

He hugged the older woman then lifted her. In the past two weeks, Zelda had grown fond of Seth. He was like the son she never had. 'I will take any job! As long as I can help around here! Thank you! Thank you!' she set her down, kissed her on the cheek then went to clean himself up. Over dinner, Zelda talked to Sean about getting Seth a job at the palace. He wasn't reluctant but instead, he excitedly agreed and promised to check on what the palace needed. Sean shared his wife's view on Seth.

The next day, Sean came home in a very pleasant mood. He had spoken to Eric, the one in charge of hiring new employees for the palace. Seth's employment need could not have come at a better time! The palace was looking to hire more staff. The previous leaders, Elsa and Anna's parents had reduced the staff to keep Elsa's powers a secret but now that everyone knew of it, they were hiring more people to run a proper royal household.

'Seth! Seth!' Sean called out once he reached their home.

'I'm here in the garden!' He's probably carving, Sean thought. He found Seth on the porch carving what seemed to be a silhouette of a woman. Sean agreed that Seth was a talented carver. He saw the young man carve beautiful pieces during the time he had stayed with them. Seth was truly a master of his art and his passion for it showed in his work and when he would talk to them about it.

'That's coming along nicely!' Sean complimented.

'Thank you.' He was glad they appreciated his work.

'You start tomorrow!' Sean almost shouted.

'What?' Seth turned to the older man who was smiling at him. 'You mean you got me a job!' to this, Sean only nodded. Seth hugged him, 'Thank you! You've done so much for me! How can I ever repay you?' He let go of Sean so that he could look him in the eye. Sean patted him by the shoulder.

'Just be a good man I've known you to be and fulfil your dreams. Spread the beauty of your art.'

'I will! I definitely will!' Seth answered with a look of determination. Sean smiled at him then turned to go in and join his wife in the kitchen.

'Ow and be a good butler for the queen!' he called out before disappearing into the house.

'I will do that too!' Seth shouted back. The job was way off from what he really did, but he would have taken a janitorial position if it meant he didn't have to be a burden to the couple who took him in. But while he thought of it, that was only a bonus. He would be working in the palace as a butler for Queen Elsa! _How lucky I am! How lucky indeed!_

Sean talked to him about what was expected of him as one of the queen's butler. He oriented him on how the palace is being run and how to serve the queen. Sean knew that Seth had no clue as to how he would do his job but being the queen's assistant, it was easy to get Seth a good position. Eric would train him for a month of course but Sean was more than happy to give Seth an advance lesson that night.

'Don't worry while Eric trains you, you will also be working as one of the staff so you'd still have a job.' He calmed Seth after he saw a look of worry in his eyes. It worked, and Seth nodded with relief and satisfaction; he couldn't take another month of being a free loader. The young man quickly picked up what Sean was putting down and by midnight, Seth had a general idea of how to be a good servant to Queen Elsa.

End Chapter 3

It's a little short but anyway, hope you liked it. . . Leave me one ! 'Till next time! Ciao!


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

Autumn foliage came in an exquisite display of red, orange and brown. The sudden chill in the air suggested the nearing of this year's winter season. All around the kingdom, the citizens were preparing to meet the winter winds, frozen grounds and falling snow; wood was being gathered, coats, cloaks and blankets were being woven, and winter boots were being made. Although winter season was still in a month, everyone was looking forward to it. In light of the recent events during the summer, with their queen's powers, they all knew the winter this year and probably future ones were going to be spectacular and special.

'Elsa! Elsa!' the queen stood in attention at the urgent call of Olaf. It was Sunday again, so she and Olaf were spending the day in her ice castle. The snowman had only just gone outside and now, after a few moments, here he was panicking and pulling at her most vigorously.

'Okay, okay. I'm coming.' Elsa answered calmly. Olaf dragged her out of the room, across the hall then outside where they ran a good distance towards the palace of Arandelle. Before they reached the end of the lake, the snowman slowed, and then they came to a full stop. Olaf raised his thin arm and pointed to their left. Elsa turned to the direction and gasped at the sight. Marshmallow, the gigantic snowman, was holding a man by his right foot so that he was hanging upside down!

Elsa thought she owed it to the snow guardian to bring him back. Unfortunately, for this particular Sunday, it didn't seem like such a grand idea. She could see that the man was struggling desperately struggling against Marshmallow's grip. But the man's efforts weren't making any difference as Marshmallow continued walking away from the ice castle. His intention was obvious. The snow guardian was still on duty and was merely carrying out what was required of him.

'Marshmallow! No!' but the snowman was well out of earshot, so he kept walking. Elsa therefore raised both her hands and commanded the ice. A moment later, Marshmallow could not take another step. His feet were being held in place by ice which froze them still. He turned to see his master and Olaf running frantically towards him. The invader he held in his hand was still struggling but he refused to let him go. A few moments later, Elsa and Olaf stood breathlessly in front of him.

'Marshmallow, please put him down. It's okay.' The queen commanded gently.

'Okay' Marshmallow loosened his grip and the man came falling onto the hard ground, landing with a loud thud.

Queen Elsa ran to the side of the man's now motionless body. Olaf followed suit and with an effort, both turned him over so that he was lying on his back and they could see his face. Elsa brushed off stray strands of the man's jet black hair from his face. She stared at him for a moment then recognition dawned on her. The man seemed to be coming to as his head moved slightly from side to side.

'Seth? Seth? Can you hear me?' she said gently and his eyes fluttered. Seth opened his eyes only for a moment but they closed again and he was unconscious, for a longer period this time.

The massive headache woke him and he could hear himself groan. Seth was still feeling woozy as he got up and sat at the edge of the bed. He rubbed his temple and looked around to orient himself with his surroundings. The room was bright and everything seemed to glisten. He sat for a moment longer then stood and walked toward the window. From there he could see that he was high up in the ice castle in the middle of the lake. It took him a while to remember what had happened earlier. He was supposed to check on the queen as ordered by his superior Erick but he ran into the giant snow man. He remembered hanging upside down but couldn't remember much after that.

Seth turned away from the window and examined the room once again. It was like any other room with a bed, a table and a chair, a shelf and a cabinet, except this room was made of ice! He stood in the middle of the room in complete awe of how flawless and magnificent the ice was. He walked around the room with his fingers gliding over everything and his eyes filled with child-like wonder. Just as he was checking the shelf, Seth heard footsteps approaching. For some reason, he panicked and ran right back to the bed where he laid down and pretended to sleep. The moment he did, he regretted it and felt foolish for doing so. But it was too late to get up now, the door knob turned and the door opened.

'He's still asleep,' he could hear the distinct whispering of Olaf.

'He must have hit his head pretty hard. The poor thing,' Elsa responded.

Upon hearing her voice, Seth wanted to open his eyes so he could see her but for some reason, he felt humiliated. _There isn't anything embarrassing about this. None at all! Except for the whole situation! Damn it! _He was waging his own battle in his head as he lay in the bed.

'Come on Olaf. We should let him rest a little longer,' came the queen's voice. _No! No! No! Stay! Get up Seth, you are causing her more trouble! Get up! Don't be such a coward. _He heard himself let out a groan as though he were waking up for the first time.

'Wait, I think he's coming too,' Olaf said excitedly.

Seth then heard the pitter patter of Olaf's little feet run towards the bed and the clacking of Elsa's heels following at a slower pace. He tossed and turned for a bit then slowly opened his eyes.

'Seth? Seth? Are you okay?' the queen's voice was ever gentle and ever worried, Seth was ever embarrassed that someone like him should worry the queen. When he opened his eyes, he saw Olaf sitting beside him, and the queen standing beside the bed.

'Wow you really got knocked out Seth,' Olaf said cheerfully.

'I really was wasn't I,' Seth replied with a smile as he sat up and pretended to look disoriented. 'What happened?'

'Marshmallow got you,' the snow man didn't hide being amused by what happened.

'I'm really sorry Seth, I forgot to tell Marshmallow that he was off duty. Are you alright?' the queen bent over to touch the bump on Seth's forehead, 'This looks painful.'

Seth looked up so that their faces were only a few inches away and their eyes met. He turned crimson instantly so he bowed his head and looked at his fingers instead.

'I . . . I'm f-fine your majesty,' he then remembered that he was already making trouble for the queen and now he was being disrespectful. So he jumped out of bed, got on his knees and bowed to the queen.

'I'm sorry your majesty, I've caused you trouble. I. . .' He stopped when he heard the queen chuckle. Seth blushed even harder. He looked up and saw the queen reach out her hand with a smile which made Seth feel warm and even more drawn to her.

'I should be the one apologizing. Forget about formalities for now, let's get you taken care of,' the amusement in her eyes never left her. Seth's mind went blank but on an instinct, he took Elsa's hand which he found were soft and smooth. He stood up and followed Elsa and Olaf out of the room, down the stairs, through the great hall and into a room which looked like the study room. Elsa pointed to one of the chairs and Seth took a seat.

'Wait here for a moment, I'll go get something for that bump,' she smiled again and disappeared into the next room while Seth was left to brew in his fascination.

'Marshmallow sure is strong isn't he?' Olaf's voice dragged Seth down from his high. He turned to see the snowman staring up at him waiting for a confirmation.

'Marshmallow?' after all, Seth knew the giant snowman as the monster that gave him the aching bump on his head.

'Yeah, the bigger version of me?'

'Marshmallow huh, that's appropriate.' Seth replied with a smile.

'It is!' Olaf said excitedly, 'He's actually all soft inside once you get to know him,'

'I bet he is,' the sarcasm in Seth's voice couldn't have been any more obvious. Just then, Elsa came back into the room with a cloth in her delicate hands. She proceeded to sit on the chair in front of Seth and they were once again close to each other, their knees touching. The contact sent volts through Seth's body that it exhilarated him. With a wave of her hand, and ice ball instantly formulated on the cloth which she then folded and raised to Seth's head. He was suddenly embarrassed to have the queen doing this for him that he moved his head back, away from Elsa's approaching hand. He immediately saw her eyes question him.

'It's okay your majesty, I can do this much,' he then laid out his hand hoping the queen might put the cloth in his hands so he could do it himself. He hated to have the queen work for him when in fact it was his job to do just that for her.

Elsa answered with a kind smile, 'I'm sure you can, but I would like to this. It's the least I could do, Marshmallow is my responsibility after all.' Her hand continued to reach for the bump on his head.

'But. . .' his protest was quickly interrupted by Elsa.

'I must insist,' she said firmly but still gently, it delivered the message but wasn't too forceful about it. Seth then looked to the floor and let Elsa do as she pleased. She placed the cool cloth on the bump ever so gently that Seth would not have noticed it was there if it wasn't for how cold it felt against his scalp.

'I'm really sorry about Marshmallow,' she finally said after a moment of silence. 'He isn't used to being around people yet.'

'There really is no need to apologize your majesty, I think I might have startled him.' he said with a smile.

Seth heard a chuckle from Elsa before she spoke again. 'Well you must have a talent for surprising 20-foot snow guardians because with this bump on your head, you got Marshmallow pretty good.' This was the first time he'd really talked to her and he was surprised to find that she had a good sense of humour and very much approachable. He felt even more drawn to her now. How very daring of him he thought as the queen held the cloth in place on his head. Olaf broke the silence with his inquisitions and his stories and all his dreams. Both listened and added a thought or two. All three of them talked and laughed until the sun began to hide behind the mountains.

'We'd better go,' Elsa said practically.

So they stood and started make their way back to the Arandelle palace. Olaf ran ahead so that Elsa and Seth were left alone. Elsa asked Seth about himself. His life wasn't too exciting, he knew so he didn't hold back too many details. He told her about where he was from, his family which consisted mostly of his father and then about his carving. He went on to talk about what he liked to carve and how he preferred his material to be ice. He came to Arandelle hoping to find a perfect place to carve especially with the news that eternal winter was upon the kingdom, he said as much to her.

'Well, I'm sorry I came to my senses a little too early,' she said it too seriously, Seth nervously looked at her. But he was relieved to see Elsa smile and then chuckle. They were already on the palace courtyard by then. 'Maybe you can show me some of your work sometime,' Elsa smiled to him with a twinkle in her eyes which made him feel giddy.

'It would be an honour your majesty,' and it truly was but more importantly, Seth realized, it meant more time with the queen who he was very quickly and maybe unknowingly making him fall in love with her. Elsa waved to him before entering the palace and he waved back before turning to head home. His shift was over and he found himself looking forward to the next one. Seth simply couldn't wait to see Elsa again. He just wanted to be near her all the time now. And as he went home and closed his eyes to sleep that night, Seth dreamt of her and a hopeful future for them. But when he woke that morning he seemed troubled as he sat on the edge of his bed. He couldn't help but ask if Elsa felt the same or felt anything for him at all.

End Chapter 4

Sorry this one took too long. . . . Had a lot of distractions lately. . . . Anyways I hope you liked it. . . . There isn't much to this chapter but I hope it was worth the read. . . Thanks for reading and as always leave me some constructive ones. . . Till next time. . . Ciao!


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